It’s just before dawn in London, and while most of the city is still asleep, Iñaki Ereño is already up, coffee in hand, scanning six newspapers—half in English, half in Spanish—on his iPad. By 6:30 a.m., he’s not just catching up on world affairs; he’s gearing up for another marathon day as CEO of Bupa, Britain’s largest healthcare provider and a company that serves more than 37 million people across the globe. At 61, Ereño’s schedule is relentless: back-to-back meetings from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., a 50-minute walk home for decompression, and then, almost like clockwork, a gym session with his 23-year-old son—who also happens to be his personal trainer.
“My routines are set up by my son, and he follows them too… We normally do weights together. He’s my personal trainer,” Ereño told Fortune. “I go to the gym six times a week. I do four days of weights and two days on the treadmill. And honestly, when you’re above a certain age, and you have back pain here and there, you need that.”
But for Ereño, it’s not just about keeping fit. The daily grind in the gym is as much a mental exercise as a physical one—a way to stay sharp, grounded, and ready to steer a £16.9 billion-a-year ($23 billion) Fortune 500 company with over 100,000 employees. “100%…totally, totally,” he said when asked if his fitness routine helps him run the business. “He’s starting his career. I am kind of ending my career.”
That generational gap between father and son is more than just a matter of years—it’s a wellspring of fresh perspective. Ereño says picking his son’s brain helps him grow as a leader: “One of the points he reinforces, which I appreciate, is that not everybody’s the same.” His son, who works in banking, isn’t shy about offering advice, especially when it comes to leadership and relationship skills. “We talk about gym-related issues, but then we also talk about our life,” Ereño explained, highlighting how these conversations extend well beyond personal fitness.
Despite the high stakes and the multimillion-pound compensation that comes with his role, Ereño insists his life is “very normal.” After the gym, he and his son often swing by the supermarket for dinner supplies before winding down with a meal and some television. “My decisions impact many people,” Ereño said. “That amalgamation of staying grounded, doing some exercise, and having a stable life as possible is the framework that keeps me sane and able to lead with clarity under pressure.”
He’s not alone in this approach. Across the Atlantic, other top executives are embracing physical fitness as a cornerstone of their leadership. Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol and Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright, for example, are known to hit the gym together at 5 a.m., swapping insights on everything from AI to menu trends while spotting each other on the weight rack. Airbnb’s Brian Chesky fits in two workouts a day—light cardio in the morning, then a session with a personal trainer in the evening. Even Disney’s Bob Iger, who’s in his seventies, starts his day at 4 a.m. with at least 45 minutes of exercise. “Staying in shape and having stamina is critical for me; that’s eating well and exercising,” Iger told the In Good Company podcast. “Just taking care of my body and my mind is really important, I could not do this job if I were not in some form of physical and mental health.”
Yet, while these CEOs swear by the discipline and clarity that come from rigorous routines, the next generation of workers is reimagining what career success and leadership look like. According to a Robert Half survey from March 2025, just 39% of Gen Z workers are interested in management roles, while about half prefer positions without the responsibility of leading others. The main reason? Work-life balance. Of those who preferred non-management roles, 51% said it was so they could maintain that balance.
“I think for this generation, there’s more prestige in being really good at what you do versus being in charge of people,” Nora Jenkins Townson, founder of HR consultancy Bright + Early, told The Globe and Mail. She noted that younger generations have grown up with cautionary tales of bad bosses and are more critical of traditional, authoritative leadership styles. Instead, many Gen Z workers are opting to specialize deeply in their chosen fields rather than climb the corporate ladder.
Char Stark, manager of people and growth at Beacon HR, echoed this sentiment: “For Gen Z specifically, or for anyone who doesn’t want to advance in leadership, it just means you’re likely going to be more skill-specific and focus on a very niche area that you want to specialize in, and those opportunities absolutely do exist.”
This shift in attitude is prompting companies to rethink their organizational structures. In 2023, Shopify, for instance, revamped its staffing and compensation model, splitting staff into two career tracks: managers and crafters. Both tracks offer equivalent compensation, rewarding impact and expertise regardless of whether an employee manages people. The move was designed to buck the trend of only incentivizing and rewarding managers, and to reflect the reality that not everyone aspires to lead a team.
“When they look at people leadership roles, they realize that tenuous balance of work and life can really be quickly put out of whack when you’re responsible for other people,” said Tara Parry, director of permanent placement services at Robert Half Canada. She noted a “huge shortage” of candidates for management roles, a trend already noticeable at executive levels over the past decade. To address this, Parry suggests companies should identify leadership qualities early and provide training before employees step into management. “If we start training people before they’re even in that role … I think more people would be willing to put their hands up because they feel ready for it versus taking a risk for it.”
For those who choose not to pursue management, career advancement can take other forms—becoming a subject matter expert, expanding a client list, or mentoring junior colleagues without formal leadership responsibilities. Companies like Robert Half have adapted by allowing employees to earn more senior titles that don’t necessarily involve managing others. “I think organizations have become quite savvy that in order to keep your work force fulfilled and feeling like they’re growing, there has to be other options because you can’t just move everybody up into management,” Parry said.
As the workplace continues to evolve, the stories of leaders like Ereño—who blend old-school discipline with a willingness to learn from the next generation—offer a glimpse into how companies might bridge the gap. Whether it’s a CEO sweating it out on the treadmill or a Gen Z specialist honing their craft, the definition of success is expanding beyond the corner office. For some, it’s about stamina and clarity under pressure; for others, it’s about balance and mastery. But for everyone, it seems, the future of work is about finding a path that fits—not just following the one that came before.